Sakhee the toast of Longchamp

Sakhee and Frankie Dettori took Longchamp by storm yesterday, scoring a spectacular win in the £581,000 sterling Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. It was not so much a horse race as a victory parade as the Godolphin stable's top-class four-year-old romped away from his 16 rivals in the closing stages.

The French racing authorities had played the theme music from Gladiator as the runners were loaded up into the starting stalls. It was Dettori and his mount who came home like conquering Roman heroes.

Some racing lovers had worried beforehand that in the absence of Galileo and Fantastic Light, this might be a sub-standard running of Europe's biggest race. But Sakhee, who was providing Dettori with the 100th Group One winner of his career, made a nonsense of that fear.

On Saturday afternoon Longchamp had been drenched by torrential rain and the surface yesterday was extremely testing. But Sakhee, exposing the futility of the view that he might not have the stamina or the appetite for such conditions, didn't seem in the least bit inconvenienced. Neither did he seem bothered by his supposedly unhelpful number 15 draw. Dettori was smartly away and soon in a good position in fourth or fifth place on the outside of the field with no potential for trouble or interference up ahead.

Milan's lead horse Saddlers Creek and the rank outsider Anzillero led them up past the Petit Bois but the vast crowd only had to look up at the big screen to see that nothing was going better than the favourite. Sakhee was still on the bridle as he swept into the great wide Longchamp straight. And when Dettori kicked, his supporters roared their approval and the 2001 Arc was effectively over.

Aquarelliste, who looked superb in the paddock, but for whom the rain-sodden ground was not ideal, was momentarily boxed in on the inside. But the filly stayed on bravely to take second place albeit a respectable six lengths behind the victor.

Another French filly, Diamilina, battled on into third place with the 2,000 Guineas winner Golan a game fourth. The rest were outclassed.

It's a long canter back past the packed grandstands at Longchamp. Dettori, the magnificent showman, savoured every minute of it. Sakhee had the blue and gold Arc winner's blanket over his gleaming quarters. His jockey had his broadest smile as he repeatedly saluted and waved to his fans.

"I've never come into a big race like the Arc and been quite so confident," he said. "The horse was fresh and improving and coming to the peak of his career. All he had to do was repeat the form of his second in last year's Derby.

"I said yesterday morning the only way I could lose was by falling off him. This horse can give Fantastic Light a race no doubt about it. And if you can find another one better than him, I'd like to ride it."